Most Popular

The flu or pneumonia claimed the lives of one out of every 10 Americans who died during the week ending February 3, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Throughout most of the nation, the flu appears to remain on the rise, Acting CDC Director Anne Schuchat, MD, said at…

A mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead has reopened a debate in Congress about loosening long-standing restrictions on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research into gun violence, according to an article in The Hill. Democrats have frequently railed against…

The FDA has approved a new type of antiretroviral medication for adults living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who have tried multiple medications that are no longer controlling their disease. Ibalizumab-uiyk (Trogarzo, TaiMed Biologics USA Corp.) is indicated for heavily treatment-experienced…

A vast research study that sought to settle a long-standing debate about whether or not antidepressant drugs really work has found they are indeed effective in relieving acute depression in adults, according to a Reuters report. The international study––a meta-analysis pooling results of 522 trials…

A new treatment for the rare blood disease paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) that would cut the number of infusions needed each year by three-quarters fared well in a pivotal phase 3 study, the developer announced. ALXN1210 (Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), an investigational long-acting C5…

The FDA has approved apalutamide (Erleada, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies), the first treatment indicated for nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. “This approval is the first to use the endpoint of metastasis-free survival, measuring the length of time that tumors did not spread…

Just how bad a flu season are we having? Without a crystal ball, it’s impossible to predict the final toll. But just about any way you crunch the numbers, the prognosis is grim. “Most people with influenza are being infected with the H3N2 influenza virus. And in seasons where H3N2 is the main cause…

Novartis’s Sandoz division has won FDA approval for a larger dosage of glatiramer acetate injection (Glatopa) for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, ending a costly delay that allowed rival generics makers to beat it to market, according to a Reuters report. The FDA approved a 40-mg/mL injection of…

The FDA has granted accelerated approval to blinatumomab (Blincyto, Amgen) to treat adults and children with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are in remission but still have minimal residual disease (MRD). MRD refers to the presence of cancer cells below a level that can be seen…

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation for erdafitinib (Janssen Pharmaceuticals) in the treatment of urothelial cancer, an often-aggressive disease with a grim prognosis that is seen most frequently in the bladder. It’s the sixth most common type of cancer in the U.S. The breakthrough…

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted to restore the recommendation it withdrew two years ago for the use of an intranasal flu vaccine. The recommendation reflects positive results from a U.S. study in children between their second and fourth birthdays. AstraZeneca announced…

The new year has again coincided with a hike in U.S. drug prices, with more than 30 drugs seeing an increase. However, after receiving continued criticism from both the public and politicians, the industry appears to be sticking within a 10% self-imposed price-hike limit, according to consultant GlobalData.…

A large study of cardiovascular events in gout patients taking one of two medications to prevent excess build-up of uric acid has found that one of the drugs, febuxostat (Uloric, Takeda), increased the risk of death for those with heart disease compared with the other drug, allopurinol. Yet the two…

The FDA has approved a second indication for plecanatide (Trulance, Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc.): the once-daily treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adults. Plecanatide was already approved for the treatment of adults with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). The 3-mg…

The FDA has approved brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris, Seattle Genetics, Inc.) in combination with chemotherapy in adult patients with previously untreated stage III or IV classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The approval is based on the successful outcome of the phase 3 ECHELON-1 clinical trial that compared…